While Google is busy preparing a big Chrome desktop redesign using its latestMaterial Youdesign elements, the company is also working on adding a lot more quality of life features. Chrome 113 is the best proof of this yet, as thenew release, now out in early stable, is filled to the brim with new features for you to try on both your desktop and yourfavorite Android phone. Let’s dive right into it.
Chrome 113 gets a new share menu on Android 14
It’s been possible to turn off Chrome’s custom share menu via a flag for some time now, and theAndroid 14Beta makes clear why this is necessary. The new operating system allows apps to add their own custom actions to the system share sheet, making it possible for apps like Chrome to offer their own sharing options like printing, QR code creation, and copying the link in question.
First two images: Custom share menu. Last two images: App action in Android 14’s system share sheet
When you deactivate the custom share menu in Chrome 113 using thechrome://flags/#share-sheet-migration-androidflag, you may get started with the new experience right away. The big advantage is that this gives you access to all availalbe share targets on your phone, including some direct share suggestions.
Chrome 113 is adding a faster checkout experience on Android
Checking out on a new online shop can be tedious as you have to enter all of your information again. Chrome 113 is rolling out a change that will make this less cumbersome. Starting in this browser version, a few people will see an updated autofill UI that’s specifically created for checkout scenarios.
When you reach the checkout page in a shop, a bottom sheet will appear that lets you quickly select one of your saved addresses and your preferred payment card via Google Pay. Once you’re happy with your selection, your details are then automatically filled in.
Chrome 113 makes it easy to delete the last 15 minutes of browsing on Android
Google knows that you sometimes forget to open incognito mode when you should have — you know what we’re talking about. That’s whyChrome 113 is making it possible to delete the last 15 minutesof browsing using a quick new shortcut in the overflow menu. If you can’t see it yet, you need to enable thechrome://flags/#quick-delete-for-androidflag.
Chrome 113 won’t make you go incognito to disable all extensions
Sometimes, extensions break websites, be it because they’re offering some advanced theming options or just because the site in question doesn’t like that you’re blocking ads. That’s where a new experimental feature comes in, which you can enable using thechrome://flags/#extensions-menu-access-controlflag. This will give you aredesigned extension menulook that includes a toggle that lets you turn off all extensions on a given website. Right now, it’s still under development and a bit buggy, so you need to remember to refresh the site manually to make the changes take effect.
Chrome 113 is getting more toolbar buttons on Android
Chrome 113 for Androidadds some new buttons to the toolbar. The dynamic area between the address bar and the tab switcher now also gives you access to a quickadd to bookmarksand atranslatebutton. These will either show up when you often use the option or when you manually select them in the customization options. If these aren’t visible for you by default just yet, you might have to enable thechrome://flags/#adaptive-button-in-top-toolbar-add-to-bookmarksand thechrome://flags/#adaptive-button-in-top-toolbar-translateflags.
Chrome 113 adds a note-taking option on desktops
Wouldn’t it be great if you could scribble thoughts and notes in the margins of a website? It looks like Google Chrome developer thought the same, as they’re working on anotes feature for the sidebarthat lets you collect thoughts and ideas right next to a website. This is still under development and not 100% fleshed out, so you will have to enable thechrome://flags/#power-bookmark-backendandchrome://flags/#user-notes-side-panelflags to get started. you may then easily access your notes on the sidebar and use them as a starting point for your browsing session.
Chrome 113 is making it easier to clear autofill items on desktops
Your autofill history is probably filled to the brim with search terms and addresses spanning tons of different websites. Removing items from these lists isn’t exactly intuitive, either (you need to hover over them and hit shift + delete on your keyboard). That’s whyChrome 113 is adding trash can icons next to entries, making it much harder to miss how to get rid of individual entries. If you can’t see it yet, you need to enable thechrome://flags/#autofill-show-autocomplete-delete-buttonflag first.
Chrome 113 will protect you better from phishing on Android
Google has added extra phishing protection for your Google account password on Android. However, this security feature only activates when you sign in to your account in a Chrome tab, like when you sign in to Gmail. Since many people likely don’t do that on their phones, Google is changing how this works with Chrome 113. The new version of the browser automatically turns on phishing protection as soon as you connect with Google on your phone.
Chrome 113 adds more Privacy Sandbox groundwork
Google wants to kill third-party cookies and replace them with a more privacy-minded solution that works within the browser. The Privacy Sandbox makes it possible for websites to declare relationships to one another, allowing them to share resources like cookies.
This is useful when a service has multiple domains with a shared login. With the setting enabled, you may deactivate third-party cookies (which you usually need for this kind of functionality) and use a toggle to control whether related sites are allowed to see your activity or not.
You might soon see prettier web app installation prompts
Google recently announcedthat developers could now add richer web app installation prompts. This is supposed to make clearer what the app in question can be used for. On Android, this means that installation prompts might soon look a lot more like the Play Store popup that you may see when you install an app right from a Google Search. The option to add richer previews has been available for a while now, but we might only now see more of them given that Google created an explainer for developers.
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